South Africa's annual sardine migration attracts a host of eager predators, each perfectly adapted to take advantage of the bounty. Common dolphins use sonar to 'herd' sardines into more manageable baitballs – something that many creatures benefit from.

The growth of biofouling on aquaculture infrastructure is a universal challenge. Standard industry practices to remove biofouling in finfish aquaculture typically include in situ net cleaning via power washing.

Since those cleaning practices can be potentially harmful to fish-gill health and expensive, development of other non-toxic biofouling controls is an industry priority. 

Deposit-feeding sea cucumbers are potentially well suited for biofouling control due to their feeding mechanism, but remain relatively untested in this capacity. We examined the use of California sea cucumbers (Apostichopus californicus) to control biofouling on cages containing adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) at a commercial farming operation. 

Four cage types were established: cages with salmon and sea cucumbers, cages with salmon only, cages with sea cucumbers only, and cages without either species. Results showed that the sea cucumbers actively fed on biofouling when salmon were absent (~16% cleaner on average) but preferred to consume uneaten feed/faeces at the bottom of the cages, neglecting the biofouling, when the salmon were present.

It is hypothesized that biofouling control in cages with salmon may be possible with an increased density of sea cucumbers.[...]

Source: MDPI

There is little direct fishing for flatfish such as turbot, plaice and butter flounder in Norway. The exceptions are halibut and blue halibut. For some of the shrimp trawlers in the Skagerak, perhaps trawling for plaice and other flatfish can bring good income in periods.

The prices achieved for flatfish at Danish auctions are currently very good.

Norwegian boats show little interest in flatfish

The most important tools are trawls, seines and nets. Along with plaice, other flatfish are also caught. The bycatch is more valuable than ever before. Norwegian vessels do not fish directly for flatfish. Large catches are therefore low. But after that Fiskerimagasinet, something may change due to the crisis in shrimp fishing. Plaice and other flatfish can become important for Norwegian trawlers.

In several Danish fisheries, bycatch of cod is settled against quotas. Trawlers must therefore avoid catching cod. By having a low opening on bottom trawls in fishing for plaice, less cod is caught, but a greater proportion of other flatfish. Norwegian trawlers fishing in the Skagerrak have a small annual quota of cod. In addition, 2.5 per cent by-catch of cod is legal if trawling for flatfish.[...]

Author/Source: Terje Engø/Fiskerimagasinet (translated from original in Norwegian)

Norwegian salmon exports were up by value again during August, increasing month on month consistently for the past two and a half years.

Figures published by the Norwegian Seafood Council today reveal that the country’s salmon farmers sold 125,041 tonnes of fish worth NOK 10.7bn (£793m) last month.

This represents a value increase of 18%, and a volume rise of 6%, compared with August last year. Poland, the United States and the Netherlands were the biggest markets for salmon in August.

Author: Vince McDonagh / FishFarmer | read the full article here

Weak Norwegian krone in August brought new growth for seafood exports

Norway exported NOK 14.2 billion worth of seafood in August. This is an increase of NOK 1.8 billion, or 15 per cent, compared to the same month last year.

“The devaluation of the krone is the main reason for the increase in the export value. In August, the Norwegian krone was as much as 16 per cent weaker against the euro than in the same month last year. 

Source: FishFocus | read the full article here

The artisanal hake fishermen of Caleta Portales, in the Chilean region of Valparaíso, and Caleta Cocholgüe, in the Biobío region, have seen their incomes diminish due to the scarcity of the resource, which has worsened in the months prior to the start of the the ban on common hake that is in force throughout September. This is evidenced in Oceana's latest work, "Poverty in the nets", a short documentary where fishermen expose the crisis they are experiencing.

Source: IndustriasPesqueras | Read the full article here

The Summit Camp research station recorded its hottest month of July on the Greenland ice sheet, accentuating the urgency of the work of the scientists of this mission, in search of knowledge about the effects of global warming on the fjords.

"The risk is the disappearance of an entire ecosystem," explains Eric Marechal, one of these scientists, director of research at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France and a specialist in microalgae present in snow and ice.

Source: EuropaAzul | Read the full article here

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has upheld antidumping tariffs on frozen warmwater shrimp exports from two Indian companies and slightly increased the rate for all others after finalizing an administrative review.

The U.S. imposes antidumping rates on foreign shrimp imports believed to be priced below fair market value in an attempt to bolster domestic production.

Author: Toan Dao / SeafoodSource | read the full article here

Spanish research centre achieves first tank-bred Atlantic bluefin as NGOs warn of poor welfare, more antibiotic use and water pollution

The first successful breeding of Atlantic bluefin tuna at a Spanish research centre has spurred at least two companies to ramp up plans for the industrial farming of land-bred tuna.

The companies would be the first to use only tank-bred Atlantic bluefin stocks of fertilised eggs or young tuna. Up to now, farming of Atlantic bluefin has relied on catching young wild fish and fattening them in open-sea cages.

After the breakthrough in July at the government-run Mazarrón aquaculture plant in Murcia, the company Next Tuna said it plans to begin building a tuna farm north of Valencia. Nortuna, a Norwegian company, has also signed a deal with Mazarrón for the firm’s pilot site in Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa.

Commercial aquaculture companies argue that as more fish are farmed from stocks in closed tanks, fewer wild Atlantic bluefins will be caught for fattening or immediate consumption, reducing pressure on sea stocks.[...]

Author/Source: The Guardian